West Virginia Layoffs — August 2017
Employers in West Virginia filed 2 WARN Act notices in August 2017, impacting roughly 184 workers — representing a notable rise over July and up 47% versus August 2016. The average filing covered 92 workers, with 0 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 1 | 175 |
| Mining & Energy | 1 | 9 |
The Retail sector led the way in workforce reductions with 175 workers across 1 notice. In a parallel development, Mining & Energy reported 9 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Putnam | 1 | 175 |
| Webster | 1 | 9 |
Putnam bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 95% of all affected workers with 175 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Poca | 1 | 175 |
| Cowen | 1 | 9 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 2 | 184 |
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rite Aid | Poca | 175 | Layoff | |
| Arch Coal Eastern Complex | Cowen | 9 | Layoff |
The single largest action involved Rite Aid at its Poca facility, reporting 175 affected workers. Arch Coal Eastern Complex followed with 9 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
The data underscores mounting pressure on the West Virginia labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Retail sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This analysis is based on official WARN Act filings reported by West Virginia. The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act requires employers with 100+ employees to provide 60-day advance notice of mass layoffs and plant closings. Data is updated daily by WARN Firehose. View all West Virginia WARN notices, browse layoffs by state, or download the full dataset.